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Politics and press news
Vote won't solve Islands dispute, say envoys – Embassy 45
The upcoming referendum on the Falklands/Malvinas will not help to solve the territorial dispute between Britain and Argentina, an Embassy snap...
Syrian ex-spokesman defects – Embassy 45
Syria’s former foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi, who is also well known in London's diplomatic circles as the former press...
Envoy counters anti-immigration hype – Embassy 45
Romanian Ambassador Ion Jinga has gone on the offensive to put negative media reports about Romanian immigration into context in...
Tory foreign policy shift may harm UK – Embassy 45
British foreign policy is entering a period of “intense debate and uncertainty”, while the media is undergoing an “extraordinary...
Pope must be 'good manager' – Embassy 45
A former UK envoy to the Holy See who observed the election of Pope Benedict XVI says the priority for the next head of the Catholic...
UK and EU to lose out in UK exit, say HoMs – Embassy 44
London’s foreign ambassadors have warned that the UK and the EU could lose global influence should Britain decide to leave the...
Sahel counter-terrorism is G8 priority – Embassy 44
Greater international support for democracy and security in the Sahel countries will be “at the top of the agenda” at Britain’s G8...
Busy month for embassy demos – Embassy 44
January has been a winter of discontent for some missions in London which have been the focus of protests staged in reaction to...
The Year in 2013 – Embassy 44
According to the Chinese, 2013 is the Year of the Snake – and it’s an unpredictable year of upheaval, rebuilding but innovation too...
Major milestones – Embassy 44
After the joyous Diamond Jubilee celebrations last year, Britons will toast the 60th anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II...
Fun and Games – Embassy 44
With no Olympics, the focus falls on smaller tournaments scattered around the globe...
Summit summary – Embassy 44
In 2013 the jamboree of summits moves to new locations. Ireland has taken over the Presidency of the EU and will have to calm...
War and Peace – Embassy 44
A number of wars will be commemorated this year, with historians and analysts pondering over their long-term impact...
FCO voted top foreign service – Embassy 43
The FCO has been voted the best diplomatic service in the world by London’s foreign diplomats in a survey conducted by Embassy...
Assange case ‘a threat’ to immunity – Embassy 42
The FCO’s warning to the Ecuadorian government of a law that allows Britain to revoke the immunity of a diplomatic premises...
Meet the new ministers – Embassy 42
Prime Minister David Cameron’s autumn reshuffle has ushered in an interesting new crop of ministers and a reorganisation of portfolios...
Historic Indonesia State Visit – Embassy 42
Indonesia’s President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, 59, became the first world leader to make a state visit to the UK in the Queen’s Diamond...
FCO charmed by snake – Embassy 42
A team of experts from the National History Museum was called in to the FCO to restuff Albert, the 120-year-old resident anaconda...
Assange case raises questions of immunity – Embassy 41
The Foreign Office’s warning to the Ecuadorian government of an obscure law that allows Britain to revoke the immunity of a...
Monarchy still relevant, say envoys – Embassy 40
The monarchy remains relevant in a modern Britain, according to a poll of diplomats conducted in the run-up to the Diamond Jubilee...
FCO unit to investigate war zone rape – Embassy 40
The Foreign Office has launched an initiative aimed at tackling sexual violence in war zones across the world...
Libyan PM lays wreath at memorial to murdered PC – Embassy 40
Libya’s interim prime minister Abdurrahim El-Keib has laid a wreath at the spot where PC Yvonne Fletcher was shot dead – allegedly by...
Tit-for-tat expulsions – Embassy 40
As violence escalated in Syria, the Assad regime declared 17 foreign diplomats as persona non grata in retaliation for the coordinated...
Rights abusers banned from Games – Embassy 40
World leaders who have committed human rights abuses will be banned from the Olympics, Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne has...
FCO boosts spending on human rights – Embassy 39
The FCO has pledged to spend an additional £1.5m to promote freedom of expression online, Foreign Secretary William Hague...
UK to open Burma interest office – Embassy 39
The Foreign Office will establish a “British interests office” in Burma’s new capital Naypyidaw, Foreign Secretary William Hague...
Austerity bites at FCO – Embassy 39
The Foreign Office is underfunded and further cuts could damage its ability to operate successfully, the Foreign Affairs Committee...
FCO gets lost in translation – Embassy 39
Only one in 40 British diplomats is fluent in the language of their host country, according figures recently revealed to Parliament...
UK gears up for multipolar diplomacy – Embassy 38
British foreign policy is shifting its focus towards new power blocs in the emerging world, Foreign Secretary William Hague told ambassadors...
The year in 2012 – Embassy 36
However you look at it, the Year of the Dragon is going to be an auspicious one – in Britain there’s the Diamond Jubilee...
Major Milestones – Embassy 36
In June Britain will come to a standstill to toast the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Festivities begin as early as March with...
Fun and Games – Embassy 36
Ukraine and Poland kick off the 2012 sporting calendar as co-hosts of the Euro 2012 Football tournament...
Summit Summary – Embassy 36
In 2012 the merry-go-round of summits moves to new cities. Denmark has taken over the Presidency of the EU as the eurozone...
War and Peace – Embassy 36
This year some nations will reflect on wars waged and peace agreed. Americans and Canadians will mark the Bicentennial...
Envoys upbeat over ‘Arab Spring’ – Embassy 36
As protesters celebrated the first anniversary of the fall of the Mubarak regime outside the Egyptian Embassy, diplomats remained...
Veto will cost UK influence – Embassy 35
Prime Minister David Cameron’s decision to veto a summit deal aimed at saving the euro is likely to leave Britain with less influence...
Green attachés give COP17 thumbs up – Embassy 35
Members of the Green Embassy Network – London’s loose affiliation of green attachés and facilities managers who are aspiring to reduce...
Escalation fears as UK closes embassy – Embassy 35
Britain has downgraded its diplomatic ties with Iran to the lowest level, ordering the closure of the Embassy and the expulsion of its...
Bilaterialism is back – Embassy 34
Foreign Secretary William Hague has announced a major drive towards enhancing Britain’s bilateral relations, reversing the policies...
MPs to grill EU foreign policy chief – Embassy 34
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs will give evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee for the first time since assuming...
Coalition foreign policy ‘harms UK’ – Embassy 33
A majority of the British public thinks the Coalition Government’s foreign policy has damaged the UK’s image abroad, according...
Multiple crises test FCO – Embassy 31
Nearly a fifth of all Foreign Office staff had to be temporarily redeployed as Britain’s stretched diplomatic service responded to...
Reverse World Service cuts – MPs – Embassy 31
Funding for the BBC World Service should be protected and budget cuts reversed to preserve its global reputation, the Foreign Affairs...
FCO boosts counter-piracy funds – Embassy 31
The UK Foreign Secretary recently announced a £6 million injection of funding to improve maritime surveillance of pirates in the Indian...
Envoys divided over WikiLeaks fallout – Embassy 29
The likely impact of the unauthorised release of secret diplomatic cables by the WikiLeaks website...
Europe House opening – Embassy 29
Ambassadors, cabinet ministers and EU luminaries gathered at 32 Smith Square for the historic opening of Europe...
Historic Pope Visit – Embassy 28
The first State Visit of the Pope to London, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, marks a new phase in diplomatic relations with Britain...
A new bi-polar world? – Embassy 27 – July 2010
A survey of top posts conducted among London’s diplomats reveals the return of a bi-polar world – but this time with China...
FCO means business – Embassy 27 – July 2010
A trade expert has been appointed the most senior official at the Foreign Office, reinforcing Prime Minister David Cameron’s...
Candid Cameron – Embassy 27 – July 2010
Foreign Secretary William Hague promised a “distinctly different” British foreign policy and on his recent global tour...
Meet the lean, mean FAC team – Embassy 27 – July 2010
The Foreign Office will be put through its paces by a team of tough-minded backbench members of parliament...
‘Diplomat’ to head committee – Embassy 26 – June 2010
Richard Ottaway MP, a “diplomatic” Tory backbencher, has been voted in as the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee...
Coalition foreign policy “more effective” – Embassy 26 – June 2010
Diplomats have given the foreign policy of the Con-Dem coalition a cautious vote of confidence, saying outcomes...
FCO fights for resources – Embassy 26 – June 2010
Officials at the Foreign Office are bracing themselves for a tussle over resources, following the emergency budget...
APPGs announced in July – Embassy 26 – June 2010
The reshuffle of the All Party Parliamentary Country Groups will be announced at the end of July. The country groups...
FCO team reflects nuanced foreign policy – Embassy 25 – May 2010
The new team of ministers at the Foreign Office points to a the more nuanced foreign policy of the Con-Lib coalition government...
More ministers, please – Embassy 25 – May 2010
The Foreign Affairs Select Committee has recommended that the new government taking office in May should increase the size...
Pope memo envoy faces sack – Embassy 25 – May 2010
The diplomat at the centre of the storm over the Foreign Office memo mocking the Pope has been suspended and faces a disciplinary...
Foreign policy differences – Embassy 25 – May 2010
Diplomats will be pleased with the increased Lib Dem influence on foreign policy, with Deputy Prime Minister scoring the highest...
Embassies for hire to plug funding gap – Embassy 24 – April 2010
The cash-strapped Foreign Office has found novel ways to meet its £135m funding shortfall, including the hiring out of its prestige...
‘Name and shame’ diplomatic servant abusers – Embassy 24 –
April 2010
Under a Conservative administration, foreign diplomats in London who mistreat their servants could face having their embassies...
Europe minister makes history – Embassy 24 – April 2010
In a victory for gay rights, Minister for Europe Chris Bryant and his partner Jared Cranney tied the knot in Parliament...
FCO reduces its carbon footprint – Embassy 23 – March 2010
Foreign Office staff have been asked to fly economy class as part of the FCO’s bid to reduce its carbon footprint...
Embassy protesters jailed – Embassy 23 – March 2010
Twenty-two people who pleaded guilty to violent protests outside the Israeli Embassy have have been jailed...
Afghan summit boosts resolve – Embassy 22 – January 2010
London's diplomats were satisfied with the outcome of the Afghanistan Conference at which a military strategy, underpinned...
A tale of two trees – Embassy 21 – December 2009
Two very different embassy Christmas trees have brought a message of peace and reconciliation to London this festive season...
Paradise lost? – Embassy 21 – December 2009
High Commissioner Farah Faizal says the leaders meeting at Copenhagen have it in...
Growing and greener – Embassy 21 – December 2009
Chinese Ambassador Fu Ying says technology holds the key to cleaner development in the world's biggest developing country
In it together – Embassy 21 – December 2009
Jock Whittlesey, Environment, Science, Technology and Health Counsellor at US Embassy London reports from Copenhagen...
Cut in perks due at FCO – Embassy 21 – December 2009
British diplomats will have to tighten their belts in future as Chancellor Alistair Darling imposed swingeing cuts on the FCO...
Plans set for Afghan meeting – Embassy 21 – December 2009
Preparations at the FCO's Protocol Department are underway for a 68-nation conference on the future of Afghanistan...
Female envoys toast woman in top EU job – Embassy 20 – November 2009
Women diplomats in London are celebrating the surprise appointment of Britain’s Baroness Ashton as the EU’s High Representative...
Profile of Baroness Ashton
Revisiting the revolutions – Embassy 20 – November 2009
In the season marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Foreign Office and embassies across London have been hosting...
Frozen moments – Embassy 20 – November 2009
On the eve of the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a glistening ice wall was erected overnight outside...
Europe minister role ‘downgraded’ – Embassy 19 – October 2009
The position of Europe Minister has been handed to Chris Bryant, in a move that political commentators say downgrades...
Foreign Office braced for cutbacks – Embassy 19 – October 2009
The Foreign Office plans to use more local staff at its posts and will be cutting back on expensive new embassy buildings...
British embassy worker jailed – Embassy 19 – October 2009
Hossein Rassam, a locally employed political advisor at the British Embassy who was arrested and tried for harming national security...
FCO official fined for outburst Embassy 19 – October 2009
A Foreign Office official has been fined £350 after being found guilty of racially aggravated harassment.
Clean sweep at the FCO – Embassy 18 – Julyt/August 2009
The unexpected departure of Lord Malloch Brown has completed the thorough overhaul of the ministerial team at the Foreign Office...
Uighurs protest outside Chinese Embassy – Embassy 18 –
Julyt/August 2009
The Chinese Embassy was recently the scene of a pro-Uighur demonstration in which around 100 protesters demanded a UN...
Embassy analyst freed – Embassy 18 – Julyt/August 2009
The remaining British Embassy worker being held in Iran on suspicion of subversive activities has been released on bail...
Reshuffle hits Foreign Office – Embassy 17 – June 2009
Gordon Brown has appointed veteran MEP and social justice campaigner Glenys Kinnock to take over as Europe Minister...
Muslim Ambassadors praise Obama – Embassy 17 – June 2009
Barack Obama’s landmark speech to the Muslim world in Cairo has been warmly received by Muslim heads of mission in London...
FCO backtracks on gagging of ex-envoys – Embassy 17 – June 2009
The Foreign Office has abandoned a Diplomatic Service Regulation issued in 2006, which imposed a lifelong obligation on ex-diplomats...
Flowers laid to mark Tiananmen anniversary – Embassy 17 – June 2009
Survivors of the Tiananmen Square massacre laid flowers outside the Chinese Embassy to mark the 20th anniversary of the bloodshed...
Turkish Embassy slams racist leaflet – Embassy 17 – June 2009
The Turkish Embassy has complained to the FCO over a British National Party election campaign leaflet which claims the UK...
Israeli poster stirs anger – Embassy 17 – June 2009
The Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and the Syrian Embassy have demanded the removal of Israeli Tourist Office posters...
Protests paralyse missions – Embassy 16 – May 2009
A rally of Tamil supporters outside India House caused major disruption to the High Commission last week...
FCO spends £48.9m on security – Embassy 16 – May 2009
The Foreign Office has revealed that £48.9m was spent last year on private security companies in Iraq and Afghanistan...
G20: What’s the deal? – Special report – March 2009
London’s diplomats have called on world leaders meeting at the G20 summit today to prioritise a tighter global financial regulatory system..
G20: Who wants what – Special report – March 2009
Now we know what the diplomats think, but here’s a summary of what the various G20 nations are hoping will be going into the mix...
FCO official suspended – Embassy 15 – February 2009
A senior British diplomat working on the South Asia desk has been suspended following his arrest for an alleged anti-Semitic outburst...
Whistleblower to sue FCO – Embassy 15 – February 2009
Derek Pasquill, sacked under the Official Secrets Act for leaking documents relating to the Foreign Office's...
FCO 'losing its value' – Lord Hurd – Embassy 15 – February 2009
Lord Hurd has warned that the Foreign Office risks losing its value as a "store of knowledge" due to its excessive management culture...
FCO squeezed in credit crunch – Embassy 15 – February 2009
MPs have warned that the Foreign Office is facing "serious financial pressures" due to the falling value of the pound...
Czechs take charge – Embassy 14 – January 2009
When Harold MacMillan was asked by a journalist what could upset his best-laid plans, Britain’s prime minister sagely replied...
Protest outside Greek Embassy – Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
Police arrested five demonstrators at a rally outside the Greek Embassy in London, protesting against the killing...
New Kosovo embassy opens – Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
Diplomats from Kosovo have opened their first mission in London. The embassy will be headed...
VIP visit – Shimon says – Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
Isreali President Shimon Peres visited Britain on a State Visit celebrating the 60th anniversary of Israel’s statehood...
VIP visit – Rice recital – Embassy 13 – Nov/Dec 2008
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ended her testimonial tour of the UK on a high note with a recital for...
Envoys back Barack – Embassy 12 – Oct 2008
Barack Obama has swept the boards as the London diplomatic corps’ choice for the next US President...
Electric election night – Embassy 12 – Oct 2008
There were scenes of wild jubilation at the American Embassy in London last night after Barack Obama was elected president...
Beijing and beyond – Embassy 11 – Sep 2008
With the successful conclusion of the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics, Chinese Ambassador Fu Ying reflects on China’s Olympic legacies...
Uneasy peace deal – Embassy 10 – Jul/Aug 2008
EU ambassadors have given a cautious welcome to the French brokered truce between Georgia and Russia, bringing to a halt...
'Pay poor states to save forests' – Embassy 10 – Jul/Aug 2008
The Prince of Wales has urged rich nations to pay developing countries to preserve their rainforests...
UK and Russia clash over spy accusations – Embassy 10 – Jul/Aug 2008
Senior British security sources have warned that Russia is increasing its intelligence activities at the Embassy, which were draining resources...
Lift gag on ex-envoys, say MPs – Embassy 10 – Jul/Aug 2008
An “oppressive” gag on retired diplomats giving media interviews without approval must be scrapped, a Commons committee has said...
A lot of hot air? – Embassy 10 – Jul/Aug 2008
Europe's ground-breaking carbon trading scheme needs an overhaul to be effective, a panel of experts told an audience of economic attachés...
High hopes – Embassy 10 – Jul/Aug 2008
France has taken over the helm of an EU in stormy waters: the Irish rejected the Lisbon Treaty, world trade talks are flat-lining and a war broke out on Europe’s borders...
Mixed reaction over Treaty rejection – Embassy 9 – Jun 2008
Foreign Secretary David Miliband has warned against nations “sleepwalking into isolationism and protectionism” ...
Don't close down – Embassy 9 – Jun 2008
Foreign Secretary David Miliband has warned against nations “sleepwalking into isolationism and protectionism” ...
Ban urges action to combat threats – Embassy 9 – Jun 2008
The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for more urgency in tackling threats that can destabilise the world...
Pakistan back in the club – Embassy 8 – May 2008
Pakistan's High Commissioner, Maleeha Lodhi, departed London on a high note with the news that the Commonwealth...
Envoy slams 'biased report' – Embassy 8 – May 2008
Cambodian Ambassador Hor Nambora has accused The Guardian of biased reporting for a recent article which claimed...
Ambassador hits out at media – Embassy 7 – Apr 2008
China’s Ambassador to the UK has warned that “misleading” reporting by Western media of the riots in Tibet risks alienating...
Sharp focus – Embassy 7 – Apr 2008
The Foreign Office has just emerged from a period of intense naval gazing, trying to figure out what its purpose is...
Entente formidable – Embassy 6 – Mar 2008
Talleyrand, one of the greatest French diplomats, once said, “Give me a good chef and I will bring you back a good treaty.”...
Ambassador slams UK media – Embassy 6 – Mar 2008
The Chinese Ambassador to Britain has attacked elements in the British media for their biased coverage of the recent pro-Tibetan riots in Lhasa...
Miliband urges radical change – Embassy 6 – Mar 2008
The Foreign Secretary has announced a radical change in the way the Foreign Office will be run.
Kosovo divides corps – Embassy 5 – Feb 2008
Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence has divided London's diplomats over whether the world's 194th state deserves recognition...
FCO prepares for reshuffle – Embassy 5 – Feb 2008
The Foreign Office is bracing itself for a reorganisation in April, in line with a new 'Strategic Framework'...
'Dignified' diplomacy, not boycott – says minister
– Embassy 5 – Feb 2008
Britain will conduct "dignified" negotiations with China about its human rights record and activities in Sudan in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics but will not boycott the games...
Ambassador launches ‘historic presidency’ – Embassy 4 – Jan 2008
Ambassador Iztok Mirosic launched his country’s presidency of the EU by saying it was a historic occasion as the first country formerly behind the Iron Curtain to take over the helm...
Shake-up at FCO – Embassy 4 – Jan 2008
More British diplomats are to be sent to the Middle East and South Asia to combat extremism, in a radical reallocation of FCO resources, the Foreign Secretary has announced...
Diplomats divided over whistleblower – Embassy 4 – Jan 2008
A civil servant at the Foreign Office has been cleared of breaching the Official Secrets Act – but diplomats in London are divided...
Hard-headed policy – Embassy 2 – Nov 2007
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for "hard-headed internationalism" in the first foreign policy speech of his premiership...
All set for CHOGM – Embassy 2 – Nov 2007
Ugandan consuls at the London High Commission have been working overtime issuing dozens of visas to diplomats from the 53-nation body heading to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting...
High drama in Kampala – Embassy 2 – Nov 2007
Transforming Commonwealth Societies to achieve political, economic and human development is the the theme of the upcoming CHOGM...
Shipping must go green – IMO SG – Embassy 2 – Nov 2007
The IMO can do more to improve safety and security at sea, while ensuring cleaner seas IMO Secretary General Efthimios Mitropoulos has said...
FCO in squeeze – Embassy 2 – Nov 2007
Tight funding for the FCO risks jeopardising diplomacy overseasand could hamper efforts to improve security at embassies, according to a recent report by lawmakers...
UKVisas security breech – Embassy 2 – Nov 2007
An investigation has found that the Foreign Office broke data protection rules by failing...
Milibands 'Second Wave' – Embassy 1 – Oct 2007
London's diplomatic corps has given a cautious thumbs up to Foreign Secretary David Miliband's conference speech on Labour's 'Second Wave' foreign policy...
FCO's new focus: Counter-radicalism – Embassy 1 – Oct 2007
The Foreign Office will concentrate on countering Muslim extremism with extra funding awarded in the Comprehensive Spending Review...
FCO gags retired diplomats – Embassy 1 – Oct 2007
Former British diplomats are up in arms over new FCO employment contracts, effectively banning any unauthorised expression of opinion after retirement...
Lord Speaker at the WDS – Embassy 1 – Oct 2007
Women envoys were privileged to be addressed by Britain's first-ever elected Lord Speaker, within the magnificent setting of the River Room in the Houses of Parliament...
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